Our 1-Day Hollywood Studios itinerary is an environment friendly step-by-step plan & technique for minimizing time ready in strains, maximizing rides, and avoiding crowds at Walt Disney World. It covers points of interest, eating places, exhibits, and contains Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. (Updated December 4, 2022.)
This Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS) touring plan has been overhauled for the beginning for Christmas 2022, taking into consideration the entire main adjustments within the final 12 months. The itinerary components in crowd dynamics for Walt Disney World’s fiftieth Anniversary, Early Entry, standby line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and Genie+ Lightning Lanes–the the paid alternative free of charge FastPass.
Most notably, we’ve spent a number of days in DHS since Fantasmic returned. This contains busy and not-so-busy days, and when the just lately reimagined nighttime spectacular has had one and two performances. Suffice to say, Fantasmic 2.0 adjustments loads with how folks method Disney’s Hollywood Studios–and our beneficial technique, by extension. Accordingly, that is our revised 1-day Disney’s Hollywood Studios itinerary for Late 2022 and Early 2023.
This itinerary assumes you’ll not be shopping for these line-skipping providers nor will you be making the most of Early Entry. If you do plan on spending the additional, seek the advice of our 1-Day Disney’s Hollywood Studios Itinerary with Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
If you’re staying on-site and might arrive early, take a look at our report on Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Either of these issues provides you with an enormous benefit, however neither are strictly mandatory for a productive day in DHS. You’ll simply spend extra time ready in standby strains with out Early Entry or Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and also you’ll want/need to keep later within the day.
Fortunately, there are nonetheless methods to outsmart the crowds with out shopping for Genie+ or being eligible for Early Entry. With that mentioned, if you wish to know which of these (and different) approaches is greatest, see our new Genie+ v. Savvy Standby Strategy at Walt Disney World, which particulars one of the best and worst methods to avoid wasting time in strains.
This put up continues our collection of Walt Disney World Park Itineraries & Touring Plans designed to reply the often requested query, “what would you do in an ideal day at the park?” With Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway plus all of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge now open, together with each Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, there’s extra to do right here, and we as soon as once more advocate spending a full day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
However, it additionally is usually a very difficult and irritating day as a result of the attraction lineup may be very prime heavy, consisting virtually largely of extremely fashionable rides. Unlike just about each different park at Walt Disney World, DHS is missing within the “supporting players” division. Which is to say there are only a few low problem points of interest and exhibits which can be simple to do with minimal wait to spherical out your day or kill time.
Unlike all of our different WDW touring plans, our technique for Disney’s Hollywood Studios begins previous to the day of your go to…
DHS Rope Drop – For an excellent expertise at DHS, we advocate arriving to the park about 30 earlier than official opening time, and selecting up this itinerary from there.
If you’re staying on-site and are eligible for Early Entry, we’d strongly advocate arriving 45 minutes earlier than the official begin time of that.
Avoid Towering Lines, Terrifying Waits! – Unfortunately, if you happen to’re staying off-site and are arriving for official park opening, you’re going to be behind the group, making each Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance dangerous choices for beginning the day.
The excellent news is that there’s a major alternative to “zig when they zag” proper at first of the day. This is as a result of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is as soon as once more working at lowered capability. With one elevator shaft down, Tower of Terror is successfully working at half-capacity.
As a consequence, Tower of Terror at present has one of many highest common day by day wait instances at DHS. Despite this, most friends arriving for Early Entry don’t prioritize Tower of Terror, nor do these arriving for regular rope drop. Outsmart them by heading to the opposite finish of the park for the Sunset Boulevard points of interest.
During the primary hour, wait instances for Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster and the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror must be comparatively low. Start with Tower of Terror, after which comply with that by doing the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster when you’re within the neighborhood–you may even be capable to do the latter twice earlier than crowds construct. Our precise waits for these rides early within the day have been below 20 minutes no matter posted wait instances.
Hollywood Dreams – By the time you’re executed on Sunset Boulevard, all points of interest can have excessive wait instances. This is an unlucky actuality at Disney’s Hollywood Studios–wait instances get lengthy sooner than some other park. The first bit of fine information is that it’ll work to your benefit later within the day.
The second bit of fine information is that, at present, character meet & greets lag behind different points of interest in having lengthy wait instances. Get forward of the crowds by doing Red Carpet Dreams, which is the Minnie and Mickey Mouse meet & greet. This at present averages a 61 minute wait time all through the day, however ought to have an precise wait time of below half-hour while you arrive.
Snow-Monster-Men Meets – If you’re into character meet & greets, proceed with the park’s different choices. Start by prioritizing Sulley from Monsters, Inc. inside Walt Disney Presents. This additionally can have a protracted wait time later within the day (common is 36 minutes).
Follow that up with Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight. This meet & greet does not have lengthy strains later within the day, so reserve it for later if you would like.
Go See A Star War: Episode I – Once you’re completed with the characters, bounce to the opposite aspect of the park and do Star Tours: the Adventures Continue and see Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Don’t be afraid to decelerate and revel in a few of the ambiance on Batuu–it’s the least crowded Galaxy’s Edge will likely be till the night hours.
It might look like you’re “wasting” useful time within the morning by perusing Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge particularly after solely doing a number of rides, however that’s not true. These outlets and market stalls will all have strains later within the day.
Early Lunch – During the center of the day, you’re going to have a while to kill whereas ready for wait instances to drop. Fortunately, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is house to 2 of the Best Themed Restaurants at Walt Disney World.
Definitely guide Advance Dining Reservations for proper round midday at 50’s Prime Time Cafe or Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. Disregard the unfavorable evaluations, because the expertise at each eating places is the star of the present. Personally, I believe each serve fairly good meals, too. (Note that each are extremely exhausting Advance Dining Reservations to attain proper now; Hollywood Brown Derby can also be a terrific choose if you happen to can’t guide both of the opposite two.)
Shows & Stuff – Disney’s Hollywood Studios has a bunch of exhibits which can be price seeing. These embody the Frozen Sing-along, Beauty and the Beast: Live on Stage, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and MuppetVision 3D.
No technique is required for seeing these, simply do them at your leisure round their scheduled showtimes. They seldom have precise waits or strains, and are a great way to fill the center of the day whereas the rides have lengthy standby queues.
In explicit, we extremely advocate MuppetVision 3D–to skip it might be distinctly unpatriotic. Consider spending a while within the pre-show space and overflow queue at MuppetVision, as there are some hilarious Easter Eggs throughout.
Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular can also be a ton of enjoyable, a blockbuster manufacturing worthy of its “epic” identify. Definitely ensure you watch (at the very least) each of these; these exhibits are nice methods to kill instances whereas ready for standby wait instances to drop on the park’s headliner rides.
Early Dinner – If you’ve in some way already labored up an urge for food and nonetheless have time to kill, take into account doing one other meal. Ideally, whichever of the 2 desk service eating places you didn’t do above. If you’re extra in a consuming and snacking temper, give BaseLine Tap House a attempt (meals spreads pictured above).
Another possibility is Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. That’s at present one of many greatest counter service eating places at Walt Disney World. Yet one other various is to caffeinate by heading to Trolley Car Cafe (the Starbucks location at Disney’s Hollywood Studios) for espresso. Oh, and when you’re there, seize one of many two Best Snacks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Whatever you do, ensure you’re not going to want to eat a full sit-down meal within the final 4 hours that DHS is open. This plan virtually depends on doing dinner early, which is one other “zig-when-they-zag” piece of planning recommendation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Late Train to Runnamuck Park – While it is likely to be tempting to run(away) to the most recent headliner attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios to start out your day, the higher possibility is doing Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway within the late afternoon or early night.
There are three advantages to this method. First, that’s when its line is shortest, so that you’re ready the least period of time. Second, the queue is generally open air, and the solar will be brutal earlier within the day. Finally, this attraction is on the entrance of the park, and has the longest strains whereas friends are arriving or leaving. The candy spot for brief strains is about 5 pm or so. You received’t expertise the shortest strains of the day, however this can be a good compromise.
Toy Story Land Mania – The hottest a part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios with households is Toy Story Land. It’s much more fashionable than the larger price range Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge with this demographic, and the crowds you’ll expertise earlier within the day bear this out.
Everyone’s gotta eat, and most of the people dine on a constant and predictable schedule. This is doubly true of households with young children, the core viewers of Toy Story Land. Like clockwork, households will begin doing dinner at round 6 pm, leading to a little bit of a lull in Toy Story Land crowds. This is exactly why we beneficial zigging after they zag and consuming an early dinner if in any respect potential.
With so many high-profile rides in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, that is actually your greatest play if you happen to aren’t eligible for Early Entry and are unwilling to buy Genie+ entry to Lightning Lanes. The actuality is that you simply’re going to should compromise someplace, because it’s merely not potential to get all the things executed with out going towards the grain someplace. You can’t have your cake and eat it too at DHS…until you achieve this at 4 pm or 5 pm! 😉
Once you’re in Toy Story Land, you’re going to need to do each Toy Story Mania and Slinky Dog Dash. Which it’s best to do first actually depends upon while you enter the land. If you arrive earlier than 6 pm, do Toy Story Mania first. If after 6 pm, do Slinky Dog Dash first. Don’t fear an excessive amount of about posted wait instances–they’re reactive quite than proactive, that means Slinky Dog Dash’s posted wait time will drop in the direction of the tail finish of the dinner lull…proper as individuals are beginning to soar again into line. (Skip Alien Swirling Saucers.)
Another possibility right here if you happen to’re not up for an early dinner is consuming at Woody’s Lunch Box after each Toy Story Land points of interest, after the dinner rush subsides a bit there.
Fantasmic – Returning after an almost 3 12 months hiatus in reimagined kind, Fantasmic is a should see. On nights when there’s just one displaying of Fantasmic, that’s the one you’ll do (clearly). While you possibly can line as much as see Fantasmic as much as 90 minutes upfront, we advocate displaying up round half-hour upfront. You received’t get pretty much as good of a seat, however most views within the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater are “good enough.” (Actually, we extremely advocate reserving the least expensive Fantasmic Dining Package and guaranteeing your self a terrific seat that manner!)
On evenings with two showings of Fantasmic, we’ve some ‘contrarian’ recommendation for you: see the primary displaying! This is regardless of it all the time being the extra crowded of the 2. Other planning sources are going to advocate seeing the second present for the very same cause–the second displaying is all the time much less fashionable. But hear us out!
During the second displaying of Fantasmic, the remainder of Disney’s Hollywood Studios can also be considerably much less crowded. This means that you can knock out headliner points of interest with minimal wait–we’re speaking posted wait instances below an hour for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash, with precise wait instances sometimes round half of what’s posted.
In different phrases, the upside of seeing the less-crowded Fantasmic and getting a greater view outweighs the chance price. Of course, affordable minds might fluctuate on this level. If you’re a Fantasmic fanatic, you may desire the ‘perfect’ view of the newly-reimagined nighttime spectacular. Again, we’d advocate reserving the eating bundle in that case.
Go See A Star War: Episode II — After the primary displaying of Fantasmic concludes, we advocate backtracking to Batuu as soon as once more. It’s higher to spend the majority of your time in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge later within the day quite than within the morning for a few causes. First, crowds are literally worst within the morning and get progressively higher because the day wears on.
Second, as a result of Star Wars Land is solely higher because the day goes on. The lighting provides loads to the moody off-planet ambiance, and makes the expertise much more immersive. If time permits, attempt to knock out each Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance by way of the standby line. Do the points of interest in that order, and count on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance to take lower than an hour, even when the posted wait time for the standby line is 90 minutes or longer. (Barring a breakdown, it’ll take far much less time than the posted wait time suggests.)
After that, take the time for a gradual stroll out of the park upon exiting, taking your time to have a look at and {photograph} all the gorgeous neon indicators. The excellent news right here is that although it’ll be darkish out, the neon is so vibrant that it’s simple to {photograph} at night time.
All in all, it ought to conclude a fairly satisfying day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This park is so significantly better than it was just some years in the past–it’s now unquestionably a full day park and one which is freed from seen building. The added excellent news is that Disney’s Hollywood Studios ought to additional enhance as soon as extra of the stage exhibits begin to return. That has already occurred with the Frozen Sing-Along, so hopefully the others will comply with swimsuit quickly!
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? If you’re interested by studying extra about lodges, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page is an effective place to start out. For the place to eat, check out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews web page. If you need to lower your expenses on tickets or decide which kind it’s best to get, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets put up. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips put up takes a singular take a look at unconventional issues it’s best to take in your journey. Once you arrive on the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are nice for figuring out what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of those matters and a lot extra, one of the best place to start out is our complete Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to profit from your expertise!
Your Thoughts
What would you embody in your very best day in Disney’s Hollywood Studios? What’s your most well-liked technique for Toy Story Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, the Sunset Boulevard duo? What concerning the first v. second displaying of Fantasmic? Do you make the most of a zig-when-they-zag method to DHS, or follow standard technique? If you haven’t visited Walt Disney World, what do you intend on doing? Do you agree or disagree with our technique or plan of assault? Any questions? Hearing your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!